The field of the disclosure relates generally to electric motors, and more specifically, to the assembly of an electric motor controller configured to be positioned at least partially within an electric motor housing.
Environmental protection is critical to manufacturing robust motor controls for electric motors. There are two main methods to protect the electronics of the motor controller from environmental stresses, such as extreme temperatures and exposure to moisture. The primary protections methods include conformal coating and a “brick” potting/epoxy encapsulation. Conformal coating includes adding a thin layer of either silicone or acrylic material to the surface of a printed circuit board (PCB) and/or its components. While conformal coating is the lowest cost solution, it only provides minimal environmental protection.
Brick encapsulation includes surrounding the PCB in a thick layer of an epoxy potting material. This method provides the greatest amount of environmental protection, however, the manufacturing cost are greater than conformal coating because of the large quantities of epoxy material used. For example, in the case of multi-board designs, the potting material may be up to several inches in height to cover the entirety of the boards. Additionally, the large amount of dense epoxy undesirably increases the weight of the motor controller, and the electric motor assembly overall.